Grain-cleaning machine



(No Model.)

- T. A. SHIP.

' GRAIN CLEANING MACHINE. No. 493,451. Patented Mar. 14, 1893.

Inventor Attorney I St UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

THOMAS A. SEIP, OF DAYTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO PETER B. HOLLY AND CHRISTIAN A. SALZMAN, OF HAMILTON, OHIO.

GRAIN-CLEANING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,451, dated March 14, 1893.

Application filed August 12, 1892. Serial No. 442.896. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. SEIP, of Dayton, Montgomery county, Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Cleaning Machinery, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention pertains to improvements in machinery for cleaning grain and the improvements will be readilyunderstood from IO the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1, is a side elevation of a grain cleaning machine exemplifying my invention, the upper portion of the casing being broken away to expose the screening shell within, and the upper half of the screening shell appear ing in vertical longitudinal section and exposing the beater within it, the sectional portion of the drawing being inthe plane of line a 2c of Fig. 2: Fig. 2,a vertical transverse section of the machine in the plane of line b of Fig. 1: Fig. 3, a vertical section, in the plane of line a of Fig. 2, of one of the screen rings: Fig. 4, a similar section at one edge of 2 5 one of the screen-rings, enlarged: Fig. 5, a face view of one of the beater-segments: Fig. 6, a vertical transverse section of one of the beater-segments: and Fig. 7, an edge view of a portion of one of the beater-segments.

0 In the drawings:1, indicates the casing of the machine: 2, the beater-shaft journaled horizontally therein: 3, rings surrounding the shaft concentrically and supported Within the casing edge to edge and forming a cylindrical screen-shell: 4, lugs projecting exteriorly from the rings: 5, heads for the screen-cylinder, secured within the casing and forming at once the heads to the cylinder and the support for the cylinder within the casing: 6, bolts passing through the heads 5 and through the lugs of the rings and provided with nuts outside the heads and at each side of each lug, these bolts or rods being threaded their entire length and thereby serving to connect the 5 ringstogether and to connect the rings with the heads, the nuts at the sides of the lugs serving as means by which the rings may be adjusted nicely edgewise or in a direction parallel with the shaft: 7, the screen cracks left between the rings by reason of the fact that the edges of the rings do not make contact with each other, these cracks being adjusted at about one sixteenth of an inch for ordinary operations with such grain as wheat: 8, inlet spout communicating with the interior of the screen-cylinder at the top near one end, this spout connecting through a suitable port formed at the juncture of two rings: 9, outlet spout at one of the heads 5, communieating with the interior of the cylinder at its lower portion at the end opposite the inlet spout 8: 10, spiders fast on the shaft: 1], beater-segments secured to the spiders parallel with the shaft, the exterior surfaces of these segments being longitudinally corrugated: 6 5 12, section-conduit adapted to be connected with a suction-fan, this conduit communicating with the interior of the cylinder through that one of the heads 5 which is at the inlet end of the cylinder, the end at which spout 7o 8 connects: 13, suction-connection leading to connection 12 from the casing l exterior to the screen-cylinder: 14, the base of the easing, hoppered to concentrate the screenings which fall from the screen cylinder: 15, outlet for the screenings from the base of the easing: 16, air inlet to the casing at the end opposite the end to which suction-connection 12 is connected, this inlet admitting air freely to the casing at the end opposite the suction and alsoto the grain discharge end of the screencylinder through the open center of the head of the cylinder at that end of the machine: 17, corrugations upon the interior surfaces of the screen-rings 3,these corrugations extending across the ring parallel with the shaft: 18, a series of wedge-shaped ribs disposed upon the outer surface of the beater-segments 11 and extending transversely across the segments, these ribs being eccentric to the axis of the heater and being transversely corrugated in continuation of the corrugations extending lengthwise of the segments, the ribs being also disposed obliquely with reference to the plane of their revolution: and 20, the 5 edges of the screen-rings 3, these edges being somewhat sharp as a result of suppressing the inward projection of the corrugations of the rings, and of beveling the exterior edges of the rings.

The heater revolves in the direction indicated by the arrows, the eccentric ribs of the segments sweeping within a short distance of the corrugated interior of the screen-cylinder. The rings of the screen-cylinder are, by means of the nuts on rods 6, adjusted to produce the desired width of screen crack between the rings, these screening cracks thus extending uninterruptedly entirely around screen-cylinder. Should Wear take place in the screen cracks, or should the material in hand call for a difierent width of screen crack, thedesired Width of crack may be obtained by readjustment of the nuts.

Screen-cylinders of any desired length may be built up by using a greater or less number of the screen-rings. The grain enters the cylinder at spout 8 and is acted on by the beaters. which subjectit to a whipping action and tumble it around theinterior surfaceof the screen-cylinder, the obliquity of the ribsof grain.

the segments gradually moving the mass of grain toward the dischargev end of the ma chine from whenceit flows through spout 9. The eftectof the beatersin tumbling the grain isto subject the grain to the best character of frictional action and to insure in-asuperior degree the endwiseturning or tumbling of the Screenings separated from thegrain become sifted through the joinbcrack 7 between the. screen-rings and these'cracks are evidently of a self-cleaning character. The screeningsrmay pass away through outlet 1*5. 'lihe suction arrangement, it employed, draws off the lighterdust from the grainwit-hin the cylinder and tirom the screeningswhichha-ve dropped from the cylinder. As ribs 18 are wedge-shaped, the grain which they attack becomes more or less choked betweenthem thus increasing the rubbing pressure. The screen-cracks, being contin uous, no transverse edges present themselves to cut the grain or toproduce clogging. The heaters, as they 1'0- 1 tate, throw thegrain forcibly outward against the inner wall of the screening cylinder, and ifthe inner wall ofthat cylinder were smooth the tendency ofthe grain would be-toslide-around within the wall; But thecorrugations 17, ex-

. tending across the inner wallsot the rings,

prevent this sliding movement of the grain, and, as a result, the grain is thrown outwardly, in: a tangential direction, instead'of sliding on along the wall of the cylinder, rebounds in- ..wardly and is again acted upon by thebeaters, thegrain thus becoming subjected to aseries of rotary tumbles.

tions 17- continued" clear tothe edges of the Were the corruga-- the-edgesof the rings and therefore the rings, 3 at the screen-cracks, present smooth circularinwalls. The grain thrown tangentially i against the inwall of the cylinder at the screen-cracks is therefore at liberty to slide around the inwall at the crack, small particles finding their way out through the cracks, and wedged in particles being loosened as they are driven around by following parti- ,cles, thus avoiding the choking and the graincutting tendency which would result from having the inwalls of the rings corrugated clear tothe screen-cracks.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a machine for cleaning grain, the

combination, substantially as set forth, with ashaft and heaters, of a fixed screen-cylinder surrounding the shaft and heaters with rounding the shaft andbeaters with the inner- Walt contiguous to thebeaters, each ring beingintegrally formed provided with a circumterential series of ex-teriorly projecting l'ugs 0% less width-than the ring, and thread'ed rods extending through said lugs and provided with adlj ustingnuts at each side of? said lugs.

3. In a machine for cleaning grain, the combination, substantially as set forth with ashafta-nd heaters, of a fi'xed' screen-cylind'er formed ofa series ofiringswith their inner walls contiguous to: the exterior of said heaters and with their side edges separated entirely around the'screen', the interior" surfaces of said: rings being provided with inward projections orribs lying lengthwise of the cylinder and forming corrugations within'the rings, said ribs retreating or vanishingat the edgesot the rings, leaving the inner walls of the ringssmoothat each side of thecrack of separation between the rings.

4:. In a machine for cleaning grain, the

combination, substantially as set forth, with a fixed screening-cylinder, ashaf-t therein, and spiders onthe shaft,of longitudinally corrul gated beater segmentssecured to the spiders and provided with transversely disposed eccentric ribs having the corrugations of'the segments extended transversely across them.

5. In a machine for cleaning grain, the

i combination, substantially as set forth, with a screening-cylinder, ashaft therein-and spiders on the shaft, of longitudinally corrugated beater segments secured to the spidersand provided with transversely disposed wedgeshaped eccentric ribs upon their exterior sur- 1 faces. I stop them=before they reach THOMAS A. SEI'P. Witnesses:

P. B. HOLLY, J. W. SEE.

IIO 

